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Papal Claims to Authority
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Here you see the coat of arms for Pope John Paul II. The "M" represents Mary, whom the Roman Catholic Church champions as the Mediatrix of salvation between Jesus and all mankind. Take note of the crown on top. It is a triple tiered crown, that is also called a tiara or triregno in Latin.
Concerning the extent of Papal dignity, authority, or dominion and infallibility.
(Quoadea quoeconcernunt papae dignitatem, auctoritatem, seu potestatem, et infallibilitatem.)#1. "The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God."
(#1. "Papa tantae est dignitatis et cesitudinis, ut non sit simplex homo, sed quasi Deus, et Dei vicarius.")#13. "Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions."
(#13. Hinc Papa triplici corona coronatur tanquam rex coeli, terre et infernoram.")
#18. "As to papal authority, the Pope is as it were God on earth, Sole sovereign of all the faithful of Christ, chief king of kings, having a plentitude of unbroken power, entrusted by the omnipotent God to govern the earthly and heavenly kingdoms."
(#18. "Deveniendo ad Papae auctoritatem, Papa est quasi Deus in terra unicaus Christifidelium princeps, regum omnium rex maximus, plenitudinem potestatis continens, cui terreni simul, ac coelestis imperii gubernacula ab omnipotenti Deo credita sunt.")
John XXIII Pontifex Maximus
wearing the triregno crown.#30. "The Pope is of so great authority and power, that he is able to modify, declare, or interpret even divine laws."
(#30. "Papa tantae est auctoritatis et potestatis, ut possit quoque leges divinas modificare, declarare, vel interpretari, ad num.")Source:
Lucius Ferraris, “Papa,” art. 2, in his Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica, Juridica, Moralis, Theologica, Ascetica, Polemica, Rubristica, Historica. (“Handy Library”), Vol. 5, published in Petit-Montrouge (Paris) by J. P. Migne, 1858 edition, column 1823, Latin.
Here are the relevant
These papal claims, to include the presumed authority to modify the divine laws of God, were specifically prophesied in the book of Daniel:
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: (of the most High) and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
It is a remarkable fact that the first instance upon record in which the bishop of Rome attempted to rule the Christian church was by AN EDICT IN BEHALF OF SUNDAY. It had been the custom of all the churches to celebrate the passover, but with this difference: that while the eastern churches observed it upon the fourteenth day of the first month, no matter what day of the week this might be, the western churches kept it upon the Sunday following that day; or rather, upon the Sunday following Good Friday. Victor, bishop of Rome, in the year 196,36 took upon him to impose the Roman custom upon all the churches; that is, to compel them to observe the passover upon Sunday. "This bold attempt," says Bower, "we may call the first essay of papal usurpation."37 And Dowling terms it the "earliest instance of Romish assumption."38
36 Bower`s History of the Popes, vol. 1. pp. 18, 19;
Rose's Neander, pp. 188-190;
Dowling`s History of Romanism, book 1, chap. 2. sec. 9.
37 History of the Popes, vol. 1. p. 18.
38 History of Romanism, heading of page 32.Source: History of the Sabbath and First Day of the Week, by J.N. Andrews, Chapter 16, Origin of First-Day Observance, copyright 1998, TEACH Services, Inc., ISBN 1-57258-107-7, page 276.
THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM
Did you notice the two keys in JP II's coat of arms? Those represent the keys to the kingdom, the assumed authority to bind and loose claimed by the Papacy from the book of Matthew-
Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Let's look at this passage in detail-
Verse 15 - Jesus asks the disciples who they think he is.
Verse 16 - Simon Peter (Cephas) answers that he knows Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah, the very Son of the Living God. This is the very foundation of the Gospel message. Jesus is the Messiah.
Verse 17 - Jesus responds that the ONLY reason that Peter knows this is because it has been revealed to him by none other than God the Father.
Verse 18 - Continuing, Jesus remarks to Peter that upon the rock of His true identity, Jesus as the Son of God, Jesus the long awaited Messiah, Jesus the salvation of all mankind, Jesus the one mediator for mankind, upon this foundation stone of fact the church of faithful believers will surely overcome sin and death (hell). That is, after all, the promise of John 3:16 isn't it? The Catholic Church appeals to this same verse to say that Peter is the foundation of the Church, and that his Papal office is declared here. This is a substitution of the Papacy in place of the Gospel message, yet again.
Verse 19 - The Papacy presumes that in this verse Jesus bestowed on Peter the absolute right and authority to govern the church as he (Peter) deemed appropriate, and that God would back him up, and his successors, in all they do in His name with that authority. But there is another interpretation that is not nearly so generous in it's scope-
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall (first) be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall (first) be loosed in heaven.
I believe this verse applies to all Christians, not just Peter. The word of God is the limiting factor in our authority. We only have authority to declare to the world what God's word reveals to us in His scriptures. As an example, the Christian can declare adultery to be a sin, condemned by God, but only because God himself declares this in His scriptures. But, beyond the clear written word of God, though, the Christian has no right to go. That is entirely different from the Catholic interpretation of absolute God-like unerring power presumed by the Papacy.
Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
So, to make it clear, just what is (are) the key(s) to the kingdom? Well, how will any mortal human being enter into the kingdom? By faith. Faith in what? Faith in Jesus Christ, the Rock of our Salvation. Peter had the Gospel message revealed to him by God the Father, the very keys to the kingdom to all who believe. Peter's charge was to "feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17); proclaim what the Father had made known to him, that Jesus was the Messiah, and that He (Jesus) is the only way to overcome sin. It is a duty and responsibility levied on all who know the Gospel message. And how do we know the true Gospel message today? The Bible reveals it to us through Scripture via the Holy Spirit. The two keys to the kingdom are the Old and New Testaments of Scripture!
So to wrap up Matt 16, I have just shown you a rational and valid interpretation that completely negates the Catholic claim of infallible vested Papal authority and the Petrine theory of Apostolic succession. They are pure invention, a fabrication not even dreamed of until a couple of hundred years after the time of Christ, when the church was trying to establish the authority of the Bishop of Rome over the Church. In the place of the Gospel message, the Catholic Church claims a blanket infallible Papal authority to proclaim Tradition. Again a substitution of the Papacy for the Gospel message. That process is called AntiChrist.
It is worth noting that the book of Mark relates the same conversation Jesus had with the disciples beginning in chapter 8, verse 27, and Mark curiously overlooks Peter's alleged investiture as Pope. Why? Surely if Mark knew Peter to be the visible head of the church, this is a remarkable and inexcusable omission on his part. So, because of the omission, it is apparent that Mark knew nothing of Peter's alleged supreme authority over the church.
Pope Leo I (440 - 461 A.D.) Asserts Bishop of Rome's Authority
The Lord . . . wanted His gifts to flow into the entire body from Peter himself, as if from the head, in such a way that anyone who had dared to separate himself from the solidarity of Peter would realize that he was himself no longer a sharer in the divine mystery . . . The Apostolic See . . . has on countless occasions been reported in consultation by bishops . . . And through the appeal of various cases to this see, decisions already made have been either revoked or confirmed, as dictated by longstanding custom.
Source: Pope Leo I, Letter to the Bishops of Vienne, July, 445 A.D., 10:1-2; in The Faith of the Early Fathers (FEF), 3 volumes, edited and translated by William A Jurgens, Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1970, 1st edition, volume 3, p. 269.
Although bishops have a common dignity, they are not all of the same rank. Even among the most blessed Apostles, though they were alike in honor, there was a certain distinction of power. All were equal in being chosen, but it was given to one to be preeminent over the others . . . the care of the universal Church would converge in the one See of Peter, and nothing should ever be at odds with this head.
Source: Pope Leo I, Letter to Bishop Anastasius of Thessalonica, c.446 A.D., 14:11; in Jurgens, FEF, volume 3, p. 270.
From the whole world only one, Peter, is chosen to preside over the calling of all nations, and over all the other Apostles, and over the Fathers of the Church . . . Peter . . . rules them all, of whom, too, it is Christ who is their chief ruler. Divine condescension, dearly beloved, has granted to this man in a wonderful and marvelous manner the aggregate of its power; and if there was something that it wanted to be his in common with other leaders, it never gave whatever it did not deny to others except through him.
Source: Pope Leo I, Sermons, 4:2; in Jurgens, FEF, volume 3, p. 275.
Pope Gregory the Great
(590–604 A.D)
"Universal Pontiff" a profane title
For, as your venerable Holiness knows, this name of Universality was offered by the holy synod of Chalcedon to the pontiff of the Apostolic See which by the providence of God I serve(2). But no one of my predecessors has ever consented to use this so profane a title; since, forsooth, if one Patriarch is called Universal, the name of Patriarch in the case of the rest is derogated. But far be this, far be it from the mind of a Christian, that any one should wish to seize for himself that whereby he might seem in the least degree to lessen the honour of his brethren. While, then, we are unwilling to receive this honour when offered to us, think how disgraceful it is for any one to have wished to usurp it to himself perforce.
Wherefore let not your Holiness in your epistles ever call any one Universal, lest you detract from the honour due to yourself in offering to another what is not due.
Source: BOOK
V, EPISTLE XLIII: TO EULOGIUS AND ANASTASIUS, BISHOPS from Pope Gregory the Great,
online at EWTN. (You will need to scroll down to find the document)
Pope Gregory the Great renounces the title "Universal Pope".
Your Blessedness has also been careful to declare that you do not now make use of proud titles, which have sprung from a root of vanity, in writing to certain persons, and you address me saying, As you have commanded. This word, command, I beg you to remove from my hearing, since I know who I am, and who you are. For in position you are my brethren, in character my fathers. I did not, then, command, but was desirous of indicating what seemed to be profitable. Yet I do not find that your Blessedness has been willing to remember perfectly this very thing that I brought to your recollection. For I said that neither to me nor to any one else ought you to write anything of the kind; and lo, in the preface of the epistle which you have addressed to myself who forbade it, you have thought fit to make use of a proud appellation, calling me Universal Pope. But I beg your most sweet Holiness to do this no more, since what is given to another beyond what reason demands is subtracted from yourself. For as for me, I do not seek to be prospered by words but by my conduct. Nor do I regard that as an honour whereby I know that my brethren lose their honour. For my honour is the honour of the universal Church: my honour is the solid vigour of my brethren. Then am I truly honoured when the honour due to all and each is not denied them. For if your Holiness calls me Universal Pope, you deny that you are yourself what you call me universally. But far be this from us. Away with words that inflate vanity and wound charity.
And, indeed, in the synod of Chalcedon and afterwards by subsequent Fathers, your Holiness knows that this was offered to my predecessors(1). And yet not one of them would ever use this title, that, while regarding the honour of all priests in this world, they might keep their own before Almighty God.
Source: BOOK
VIII, EPISTLE XXX: TO EULOGIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA online at EWTN. (You will
need to scroll down to find the document)
Pope Gregory the Great criticizes use of the title "Universal Bishop"
and denies Peter was a "Universal Apostle".For to all who know the Gospel it is apparent that by the Lord's voice the care of the whole Church was committed to the holy Apostle and Prince of all the Apostles, Peter. For to him it is said, Peter, lovest thou Me? Feed My sheep (John xxi. 17). To him it is said, Behold Satan hath desired to sift you as wheat; and I have prayed for thee, Peter, that they faith fail not. And thou, when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren (Luke xxii. 31). To him it is said, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind an earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven (Matth. xvi. 18).
Lo, he received the keys of the heavenly kingdom, and power to bind and loose is given him, the care and principality of the whole Church is committed to him, and yet he is not called the universal apostle; while the most holy man, my fellow-priest John, attempts to be called universal bishop. I am compelled to cry out and say, O tempora, O mores!
Source: BOOK
V, EPISTLE XX: TO MAURICIUS AUGUSTUS from Pope Gregory the Great (590–604),
online at EWTN. (You will need to scroll down to find the document)
Pope Gregory the Great calls the title Universal "pestiferous".
... Be it known then to your Fraternity that John, formerly bishop of the city of Constantinople, against God, against the peace of the Church, to the contempt and injury of all priests, exceeded the bounds of modesty and of his own measure, and unlawfully usurped in synod the proud and pestiferous title of oecumenical, that is to say, universal. ...
... I exhort and entreat that not one of you ever accept this name, that not one consent to it, that not one write it, that not one admit it wherever it may have been written, or add his subscription to it; but, as becomes ministers of Almighty God, that each keep himself from this kind of poisoned infection, and give no place to the cunning lier-in-wait, since this thing is being done to the injury and rendering asunder of the whole Church, and, as we have said, to the condemning of all of you. For if one, as he supposes, is universal bishop, it remains that you are not bishops. ...
Source: BOOK
IX, EPISTLE LXVIII TO EUSEBIUS OF THESSALONICA from Pope Gregory the Great
(590–604), online at New Advent. (You will need to scroll down to find the document)
Pope Gregory the Great declares title "Universal Priest" to be Antichrist.
 |
Source: Pope Gregory the Great (590–604), Letter to Emperor Mauricius Augustus (against assumption of title “universal” by Patriarch of Constantinople) in his Epistles, bk. 7, letter 33, trans. in NPNF, 2d series, Vol. 12, p. 226 (2d pagination). Here is the above |
Tiara given to
Pius IX |
So Pope Gregory the Great condemned the titles of Universal Patriarch, Universal Pope, Universal Bishop and Universal Priest. He saw that such pomposity was satanic or antichrist in nature.
In any case, Pope Boniface III (607 A.D.), a mere three years after the death of Gregory, petitioned Emperor Phocus to declare the Roman See the head of all Christian churches and that the title Universal Bishop would apply exclusively to the Bishop of Rome. This was done in an attempt to end the ambitions of the Patriarch of Constantinople.
See Boniface
III online at New Advent.
Emperor Phocus granted the request, and a grateful Boniface III erected a gilded statue of him in Rome proclaiming his greatness.
Donation of Constantine to the "Universal Pope" of Rome.
... Our most gracious serenity desires, in clear discourse, through the page of this our imperial decree, to bring to the knowledge of all the people in the whole world what things our Saviour and Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the most High Father, has most wonderfully seen fit to bring about through his holy apostles Peter and Paul and by the intervention of our father Sylvester, the highest pontiff and the universal pope. First, indeed, putting forth, with the inmost confession of our heart, for the purpose of instructing the mind of all of you, our creed which we have learned from the aforesaid most blessed father and our confessor, Sylvester the universal pontiff; and then at length announcing the mercy of God which has been poured upon us. ...
For let all the people and the nations of the races in the whole world rejoice with us; we exhorting all of you to give unbounded thanks, together with us, to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For He is God in Heaven above and on earth below, who, visiting us through His holy apostles, made us worthy to receive the holy sacrament of baptism and health of body. In return for which, to those same holy apostles, my masters, St. Peter and St. Paul; and, through them, also to St. Sylvester, our father, -the chief pontiff and universal pope of the city of Rome, -and to all the pontiffs his successors, who until the end of the world shall be about to sit in the seat of St. Peter: we concede and, by this present, do confer, our imperial Lateran palace, which is preferred to, and ranks above, all the palaces in the whole world; then a diadem, that is, the crown of our head, and at the same time the tiara; and, also, the shoulder band, -that is, the collar that usually surrounds our imperial neck; and also the purple mantle, and crimson tunic, and all the imperial raiment; and the same rank as those presiding over the imperial cavalry; conferring also the imperial sceptres, and, at the same time, the spears and standards; also the banners and different imperial ornaments, and all the advantage of our high imperial position, and the glory of our power.
Donation of
Constantine online.
Though proved a forgery in the 15th century, the use of the phrase "universal pope" in the Donation of Constantine shows the title was attributed to the Bishop of Rome in the 8th century. For centuries, the Donation of Constantine was held to be genuine by the Catholic Church.
Now note that Pope Gregory VII also declared himself to be "Universal Pope", a title which Gregory the Great refused and condemned. This papal claim has been maintained or embellished on by every subsequent pope, eventually leading to the declaration of papal infallibility.
1. That the Roman Church was founded by
the Lord alone. |
 |
John XXIII
Pontifex Maximus |
Source: Gregory VII (1073-1085 A.D.), Dictatus Papae (“Dictates of the Pope”; sometimes called the Dictates of Hilderbrand), Latin text in Karl Hofmann, Der Dictatus Papae Gregors VII (Paderborn [Germany]: Ferdinand Schöningh, 1933), p. 11.
Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) Claims Divine Authority
Pope Innocent III claimed that only the Roman Pontiff had the power to transfer and separate bishops, because when he separates, it is not a man that separates, but God that separates, because he acts "not only as a man, but as the true God's vice governor on earth" [non puri hominis, sed veri Dei vicem gerit in terris], ... he "dissolves not with human, but with divine authority" [non humana, sed divina potius auctoritate dissolvit.]:
Non enim homo, sed Deus separat, quos Romanus Pontifex, qui non puri hominis, sed veri Dei vicem gerit in terris, ecclesiarum necessitate vel utilitate pensata, non humana, sed divina potius auctoritate dissolvit.
Source: Decretalium Gregorii papae IX, liber 1, titulus VII - de translatione Episcopi, cap. III, Corpus Iuris Canonici, Pars Secunda: Decretalium Collectiones, Decretales Gregorii p. IX, ed. Emil Ludwig Richter und Emil Friedberg, Leipzig 1881.
An excellent searchable version of
Pope Innocent III Claims Authority Over Kings
Just as the founder of the universe established two great lights in the firmament of heaven, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, so too He set two great dignities in the firmament of the universal church..., the greater one to rule the day, that is, souls, and the lesser to rule the night, that is, bodies. These dignities are the papal authority and the royal power. Now just as the moon derives its light from the sun and is indeed lower than it in quantity and quality, in position and in power, so too the royal power derives the splendor of its dignity from the pontifical authority.... —
Bull
of Pope Innocent IV Deposing Emperor Frederick II... We [Pope Innocent IV] therefore, after careful discussion with our brother cardinals and the sacred council [Lyons, 1245 A.D.] on his [Emperor Frederick II] wicked transgressions already mentioned and many more besides, since though unworthy we hold on earth the place of Jesus Christ, and to us in the person of the blessed apostle Peter has been said, whatever you bind on earth etc., denounce the said prince, who has made himself so unworthy of the empire and kingdoms and every honour and dignity and who also, because of his crimes, has been cast out by God from kingdom and empire; we mark him out as bound by his sins, an outcast and deprived by our Lord of every honour and dignity; and we deprive him of them by our sentence. We absolve from their oath for ever all those who are bound to him by an oath of loyalty, firmly forbidding by our apostolic authority anyone in the future to obey or heed him as emperor or king, and decreeing that anyone who henceforth offers advice, help or favour to him as to an emperor or king, automatically incurs excommunication. Let those whose task it is to choose an emperor in the same empire, freely choose a successor to him. With regard to the aforesaid kingdom of Sicily, we shall take care to provide, with the counsel of our brother cardinals, as we see to be expedient.
Given at Lyons on 17 July in the third year of our pontificate [1245 A.D.].
Source: Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, Tanner, Norman P., ed., New York: Sheed and Ward, ISBN: 072203010X, 1990.
Claims of “I Am Caesar” (Boniface VIII)
 |
|
Pius XII wearing the
1877 tiara of Pius IX |
Source: Alexander Clarence Flick, The Rise of the Mediaeval Church (reprint; New York: Burt Franklin, [1959]), p. 413.
Obedience to the Pope declared necessary for Salvation
We, moreover, proclaim, declare and pronounce that it is altogether necessary to salvation for every human being to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.
Source: Pope Boniface VIII, Bull Unam Sanctam, promulgated November 18, 1302, in Translations and Reprints From the Original Sources of European History, Vol. 3 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 189–), No. 6, pp. 20–23 (from Latin text of Mury, Revue des Questions Historiques, Vol. 46, pp. 225, 256, based on the facsimile from the Papal Regesta).
Liberally minded Catholic apologists will sometimes suggest that Boniface VIII meant to apply his remark only to Catholics, and that Protestants are not automatically excluded from salvation by it. However the Latin text (in David S. Schaff, The Middle Ages [Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 5. New York: Scribner, 1910], part 2, p. 28) reads omni humanae creaturae (“every human creature"). The title of the bull, Unam Sanctum (One Holy Church) and its last sentence make clear that Boniface VIII was declaring that submission to the Pope of the Holy See of Rome of the Catholic Church was the only means of salvation and that those resisting that presumed authority were lost souls. Conservative traditional Catholics will staunchly defend the statement that "Outside the Catholic Church there is no Salvation", and will cite Unam Sanctam as proof positive.
Here is the full text of UNAM
SANCTAM online.
Pope Claims Primacy Over the World.
We likewise define that the holy Apostolic See, and the Roman Pontiff, hold the primacy throughout the entire world; and that the Roman Pontiff himself is the successor of blessed Peter, the chief of the Apostles, and the true vicar of Christ, and that he is the head of the entire Church, and the father and teacher of all Christians; and that full power was given to him in blessed Peter by Our Lord Jesus Christ, to feed, rule, and govern the universal Church; just as is contained in the acts of the ecumenical Councils and in the sacred canons."
Source: Pope Eugene IV, Papal
Bull Laetentur Coeli, dated July 6th, 1439, Denzinger, The Sources of
Catholic Dogma, Translated by Roy J. Deferrari, from the Thirtieth Edition of Henry
Denzinger's Enchiridion Symbolorum, published by B. Herder Book Co., Copyright
1957, page 220, #694.
See also Council of Basle, Ferara, and Florence,
Session 6, 6 July 1439.
Papacy Claims Authority Over the Kings of the Earth
Above photo from The
Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, by Le Roy E. Froom,
published by Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington D.C.,
Copyright 1948, Volume II, page 556.
On the above papal medal issued by Pope
Callistus III (1455-58), the reverse side reads OMNES REGES
SERVIENT EI, a quote of Daniel 7:27 from the Latin Vulgate, which when translated in the
Catholic Douay Rheims reads "ALL KINGS SHALL SERVE HIM". The scripture refers to
God, but the papal triple-tiered tiara portrayed above the cross clearly symbolizes the
papacy as God's designated authority on earth, to whom all kings will be obedient.
Martin Luther on Papal Infallibility
[p. 69] They assume authority, and juggle before us with impudent words, saying that the Pope cannot err in matters of faith, whether he be evil or good, albeit they cannot prove it by a single letter… We will quote the Scriptures. St. Paul says, “If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace” (1 Cor. 14:30). What would be the use of this commandment, if we were to believe him alone that teaches or has the highest seat? Christ Himself says, “And they shall be all taught of God” (John 6:45). Thus it may come to pass that the Pope and his followers are wicked and not true Christians, and not being taught by God, have no true understanding, whereas a common man may have true understanding. Why should we then not follow him? Has not the Pope often erred? … Therefore it is a wickedly devised fable—and they cannot quote a single letter to confirm it—that it is for the Pope alone to interpret [p. 70] the Scriptures or to confirm the interpretation of them. They have assumed the authority of their own selves. And though they say that this authority was given to St. Peter when the keys were given to him, it is plain enough that the keys were not given to St. Peter alone, but to the whole community.
Source: Luthers Werke (Erlangen, 1828–1870), trans. and ed. by H. Wace and C. A. Buckheim in First Principles of the Reformation (Philadelphia, 1885), pp. 159–239, passim. Reprinted in Louis L. Snyder, ed., Documents of German History (New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1958), pp. 69, 70. Copyright © 1958 by Rutgers, The State University.
Martin Luther also wrote-
"I now know for certain that the papacy is the kingdom of Babylon and the power of Nimrod, the mighty hunter (Gen. 10:8-9)."
Source: Martin Luther's The Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520), in Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings, edited by Timothy F. Lull, published by Fortress Press, © 1989, ISBN 0-8006-2327-4, page 268.
Papal Infallibility Denied as Catholic Dogma Before 1870
Q. Must not Catholics believe the Pope in himself to be infallible?
A. This is a Protestant invention; it is no article of the Catholic faith; no decision of his can oblige, under pain of heresy, unless it be received and enforced by the teaching body, that is, by the Bishops of the Church.
Sources: A
Doctrinal Catechism, by the Rev. Stephen Keenan, approved by the Most Rev.
John Hughes, D.D., Archbishop of New York, Second American Edition, published in New York
by E. Dunigan & Brother, (James B. Kirker), No. 371 Broadway, Copyright 1848, pages
305-306.
Controversial Catechism or
Protestantism Refuted, by the Rev. Stephen Keenan, Second Edition, published
in 1851 in Edinburgh; by C. Dolman, 13 South Hanover Street, and 61, New Bond Street,
London, page 102. The original First Edition was published in Edinburgh in 1846.
Q. Do you here suppose the teachers individually infallible, or that they are free personally from all sin and error?
A. By no means; philosophically speaking, if all the bishops of the Church, scattered over all the nations of the earth, all men of learning and probity, who have never seen one another,—who have had no means of combining to teach any particular doctrine,—and who have had no motive for such, do actually teach the very same truths, then we maintain, by all laws of human evidence or moral certainty, that their combined testimony to the existence of any doctrine infallibly proves its truth.
Source: A
Doctrinal Catechism, by the Rev. Stephen Keenan, approved by the Most Rev.
John Hughes, D.D., Archbishop of New York, Second American Edition, published in New York
by E. Dunigan & Brother, (James B. Kirker), No. 371 Broadway, Copyright 1848, page
369. (The identical text appears on pages 67-68 of the 1851 Edinburgh Second Edition, and
also on page 77 of the 1896 London revised New Edition.)
Prelude To Dogmatic Papal
Infallibility
Unity with the Roman Pontiff Declared Necessary to Salvation
Recognition of Papal jurisdiction declared necessary for Salvation
Papal Claim of Infallibility Declared Dogmatically
Significance of Papal Infallibility Dogma
THE NATION AND KINGDOM THAT WILL NOT SERVE ME WILL PERISH
Claims of Obedience to Pope as to God (Leo XIII)
Pope Leo XIII -- Claims to hold the place of God on Earth.
Pope Leo XIII Affirms Supreme Universal Papal Authority
The Roman Pontiff is God's instrument of salvation
Does the pope speak? It is Jesus Christ who speaks!
The Pope is the ruler of the world.
Papal Sovereignty Claimed Over All the People of the World
Pius XI Declares the Roman Catholic Priest "another Christ"
Submission to Papal Authority
Must Extend Beyond Infallible "Ex Cathedra" Decrees
THE SUPREME PONTIFF - PONTIFEX MAXIMUS
Pontifex Maximus: a Pagan Title of the Roman Emperor
Unity with the Roman Pontiff -- Necessary to Salvation
Papal Rome a Continuation of the Roman Empire
Pope John Paul II claims to take the place of Jesus Christ on Earth
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Usurping the Authority of Jesus Christ
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